


the cure to all that ails you

by orphan_account



Series: Septiplier 30 day challenge! [2]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: 30 day challenge, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-11
Updated: 2016-04-11
Packaged: 2018-06-01 13:57:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6522670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. Maybe he’d be okay, after all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the cure to all that ails you

**Author's Note:**

> hahahahaha sorry this is so late at night, i wasnt home all day rip
> 
> Today's prompt: Sharing milkshakes!

Jack was sick.  He had to be, why else wouldn’t he post anything for _three days_?

Mark paced the hallway outside his friend’s apartment, weighing his options.  He was worried about Jack, but he wasn’t sure if he was just needlessly fretting, or if there was genuine cause for concern.  Jack had sent him a message via Skype the night before, saying he wasn’t sure if he was “cut-out for YouTube anymore,” and every hour that Mark’s response went unseen was another hour filled with dread.

Option number 1: Mark could knock on the door.  The action of showing up completely uninvited – and possibly unwanted – was justified, in Mark’s eyes.  The younger man was making him sick with worry and fear, of course he would understand Mark showing up out of the blue to check that he was alright.

But what if he was completely fine, and Mark was just stressing for no reason?

Option number 2: Mark could leave.  He wasn’t asked over, he didn’t call ahead and ask if it was okay to randomly show up, and Jack might not even want to see him.  He could leave now and pretend this never happened.

Option number 3: Mark could continue pacing the hall for hours on end, like he was currently doing, until Jack left his apartment and asked Mark what he was doing here.

That didn’t seem like his best possible choice.

He sighed to himself, ceasing his mindless pacing to come to a halt in front of Jack’s door.  He raised his fist and knocked, preparing himself for the worst.

Or, he thought that he had prepared himself.

Mark was, in no way, ready for what greeted him when Jack opened the door.

Jack McLoughlin wasn’t necessarily a messy guy.  Of course, he was known as a mug hoarder, and there would often be mugs of half-drank coffee scattered throughout his apartment, but what greeted Mark now was a disaster he hadn’t thought Jack capable of.  It looked like a tornado and hurricane each had gone through the apartment, leaving clothes and empty chip bags and discarded pop bottles littering every available surface, and even some video games laid out of their cases shiny-side-up on the television stand.

Jack looked worse than the state of his room.

His bloodshot eyes were surrounded by dark and heavy bags, his hair looked greasy and messy, and he looked like he hadn’t shaved in nearly two weeks.  Mark instantly pulled him into a hug, knowing he made the right choice to knock.

“Mark?” Jack questioned, his voice soft and rough from days of misuse – if any use at all.  “What the fuck – what are you doing here?”

“I was worried about you,” he answered, looking around again.  The place was a mess, clearly meant to be wallowed in.  He had to get Jack out.  “C’mon, put your shoes on, we’re going out.”

“What?  Mark, you’re insane.  I’m not going out.  You’re leaving.”

“No, I’m not.  Come on, let’s go.”

“Why would I leave?”

“Because your house is a mess, and I’m not giving you a choice, Sean.”

Jack sighed at the use of his Christian name, putting his shoes on when he realized he wouldn’t win.  “I’m not going to be happy about this.”

“I don’t expect you to be,” Mark replied, dragging him out of his apartment.

The diner that Mark took him to was known around town as having the best fries for miles.  He was forced into a booth in the front corner of the restaurant, so they had a clear view of the sun setting in the distance, and Mark sat across from him with a chipper smile on his face.

_He’s enjoying this, isn’t he?  The fucker is enjoying torturing me_ , Jack thought to himself, his frown deepening any time Mark looked up at him with that smile still plastered on his stupidly-perfect face.

“I’m gonna have a milkshake and fries,” Mark told the waitress with his huge, flirtatious grin, having not even looked at a menu.  “Are you hungry, Jack?”  He asked, turning his attention back to the man across from him.

“No,” Jack grumbled, and that was the end of it.  Mark just smiled wider, carrying a one-sided conversation while Jack looked out the window into the blurry distance.  _Fuck, I left my glasses at home.  All well, it’s not like it really matters._

When Mark’s food came, Jack had to admit, it looked delicious.  Mark nearly moaned when he took his first bite of the milkshake then promptly offered some to Jack, who again turned him down with a grumpy “no.”  Mark simply shrugged, picking up two French fries and dunking them into the chocolatey-creamy goodness.

“Suit yourself,” he said, his mouth full of food, “more for me, that way.”  He smiled, licking the salt off his fingers while Jack tried to turn back to the sky and ignore his friend across from him.

Of course, Mark made that nearly impossible.

He kept going on and on, ignoring the fact that Jack was clearly trying to ignore _him_ , and soon enough Jack had nothing to do but listen to his ramblings.  It was then, he realized, that Mark was telling him the entire storyline to Shadow of the Colossus and barely eating his milkshake and fries.

Every time he did eat some of it, however, he always offered some to Jack, who always said “no” in the rudest way imaginable.

Mark was really worried about him.

“Mark?” Jack asked suddenly, causing Mark to stop mid-rant and smile at him.

“Yeah?  What’s up?”

“Why are you telling me about a game I’ve already played a thousand times?”

Mark’s smile just seemed to grow at that, taking a bite out of his chocolate-covered French fry.  “Because I thought you would like hearing about something you love.”

Jack grew quiet at that again, biting his lip and glancing slowly between Mark (who continued his rambling) and the milkshake and the window, sighing every now and then.

At one point, he stopped and looked at Mark again.

“Could I – Can I maybe have a bit of your milkshake?” He asked softly, making Mark stop talking.

“Of course.” Mark grinned.  “Why do you think I got a large?  I couldn’t possibly eat this whole thing myself.  Grab a spoon and a straw and dig in, man.”

Jack smiled softly as Mark pushed the milkshake towards him, getting the extra spoon and taking a small bite.

Maybe he’d be okay, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> I think I've said this before, but the best place to contact me if you have any questions is potentialmixtape.tumblr.com/ask


End file.
